Online Learning Is Becoming Increasingly Popular - Report Example

Online Learning is Becoming Increasingly Popular Name: Institute: Online Learning is Becoming Increasingly Popular Introduction E-Learning can be defined as the technology application to facilitate students to learn anywhere and at any time and. E-Learning may consist of training, the delivery of up-to-date data as well as assistance from professionals. For example, e-learning permits the student to learn everywhere and normally whenever he/she like, so long as he/she have a computer that is correctly configured. What’s more, e-Learning has transformed the educational sector, and also it has revolutionised the manner students perceive acquisition of skill and knowledge in general. Owing to contemporary learning technology, techniques and tools for e-Learning continue getting better and bigger. E-learning came with lots of benefits, but the most important one is the prospect of gaining educational knowledge in spite of being not capable to be present at regular classes at institution of higher education. Attributable to work, wannabe academics in the previous decades had to give up their academic content as well as aspirations due to their then state of affairs. These days, they are offering students with a more exciting, and more efficient, academic experience. Above all, e-learning rising popularity is not exhibiting any indications of slowing. Statistically, almost 4.6% of students at the college are pursing as a minimum one course online, but by 2019, as per Pappas (2013) almost 50% of all classes in colleges will be e-learning-based. Nowadays, e-learning according to Pappas (2013) is a $56.2 billion industry, and by 2015 the value will be twofold. The essay seeks to provide an in-depth discussion why online learning is becoming increasingly popular. Discussion In spite of the fact e-learning needs more student dedication as well as motivation, online learning is turning out to be more and more popular and has scores of benefits related with it. Reduced Cost: e-learning reduces the costs of parking fees, bus fares, and gasoline. Furthermore, a number of teachers utilise free online text books that are openly licensed; thus, additionally cutting the attendance cost (Drayton, 2013). When lecturers allow submission of papers online, both the schools and students save expenses associate with printing. Unlike the traditional learning, online learning does not utilise lecturer’s time or any equipment or tool, and as a result, it is much cheaper option than traditional learning. Importantly, students just need a device able to support online learning, unlike the traditional learning, which need furniture, lecture rooms, and other learning tools such as smart-boards and projectors. In comparison with traditional learning, online learning is cheaper for the reason that the fees charged is less than that of a person attending classroom that is required to pay attendance fee and also library fee. Flexibility: online learners are able to listen to lectures and still work on their courses while still at the place of work, and also they can access the course materials every time they need them. What’s more, they can do their course work around family schedules, and also they can use their laptop or Smartphone to study anywhere there is Internet connection (Zembi, 2013). Compared with e-learning, traditional learning lack flexibility as well as handiness since learners must sign up for a class meeting regularly. To finish course work, study, acquire instructions for the assignment as well as taking quizzes and examinations, students in traditional setting have to frequently be present at classes, otherwise, they could get a class failure or poor grade. This compels learners to espouse e-learning since it offers a more flexible learning chance that permits them to schedule school work as well as reading. Mobile: given that e-learning may be achieved through laptops, Smartphones as well as mobile phones, Drayton (2013) posits that online learning is an exceedingly mobile technique. This is for the reason that learning can be carried out anywhere such as on the train, bus, or airplane. Whereas the students were accustomed to be limited to the classroom, the advent of online learning has made the entire world to be their classroom. Contrary, in the traditional setting, the student have to either board on campus or go back and forth. Therefore, one can time and again finish online classes from any place or location, but traditional classes by and large need that the students stay relatively near to the school. Akin to any form of technology, E-learning has some shortcomings. Technology Issues: possible risks surface from over dependence brought about by computers. To begin with, instructors/lecturers must make sure that every student possesses a device that can support online training modules. For instance, a number of e-learning tools need software like Flash, which is not supported by most devices such as iPads; therefore, every condition must be outlined at the start (Drayton, 2013). What’s more, as highlighted by Drayton (2013), poor internet connection as well as inevitable errors as well can disrupt online learning and therefore there must be planning prior to espousal of online learning by any learning institution. This as mentioned by Drayton (2013), is particularly factual if it is a worldwide roll out because connections of internet as well as power dependability vary noticeably between nations. Lack of Control: students with stumpy enthusiasm have a tendency to drop back when utilising e-learning since there exists no times set to be carrying out it. A lack of regular or set plan can signify e-learning grows to be complex with diverse deadlines frequently offered to various individuals at distinct learning stages. An additional e-learning disadvantage is handling software for online learning as well as computer files. For students with computer skills at beginner-level can from time to time appear multifaceted to organise their computer files. With no excellent computer organizational skills students can misplace or lose reports or assignments; thus, leading to late submission of assignments. A number of the learners may as well have difficulty installing the needed software for class work. E-learning as well needs more time like in traditional setting where the student must attend class and finish assignments. This denotes that learner must be vastly encouraged and liable since they perform every work at their own. Therefore, unmotivated students or those with bad study tendencies could fail to keep up (Zembi, 2013). An additional disadvantage of online learning is that devoid of the regular traditional class structures, learners can lose their way or get confused concerning course deadlines together with activities making the learner to do poorly of fail. Online students may feel secluded from the lecturer since instructions are not at all times accessible to assist the student; therefore, online students must have discipline to learn by themselves with no s assistance from the lecturer/instructor. “E-learning in the future will turn out to be will more based on the rising recognition of the 70:20:10 paradigms, continuous learning as well as the understanding that the majority of present learning is informal, and so will in the future continue to confront the e-learning industry (Pradhan, 2013).” Subsequent to years of residing in its own ‘diminutive box’, Pradhan (2013) maintains that e-learning will in the future become a key element of a more holistic as well as pervasive approach to education. ‘Technology is supporting as well as underpinning the formation of an unremitting learning culture, and which is the answer (Pradhan, 2013).” According to Pradhan (2013), this unremitting learning culture may consist of: online set-ups through authentic resources; tools as well as platforms that back social learning; mobile resources such as wiki-style; online teaching and so forth. In the future, learning will turn out to be more collaborative: e-learning has gained very much from the Web 2.0 development, in growing to be more social as well as collaborative. in this case, platforms for traditional learning will in the future familiarize themselves to this tendency by espousing cloud delivery as well as putting into practice social networking enthused methods, which according to Pradhan (2013) has been mainstreamed through Twitter and Facebook. What’s more, production of e-learning will grow to be agile: e-learning has conventionally been overseen through waterfall method, where significant effort is exhausted upfront in finding as well as documenting a absolute solution prior to starting the development process. Whereas this is still suitable for lots of projects, in Pradhan (2013) view in the future learning setting, the existing solutions will lend themselves to an agile approach. Conclusion In conclusion, it has been argued that e-learning carries scores of benefits than traditional classroom-based learning, but the decision to espouse e-learning heavily rely on the capacities as well as needs of each learning institution. Additionally, e-learning is an influential and cheap platform for conveying reliable learning experiences to lots of students across a broad geographic area. In addition to its extensive reach, novel technologies are making tutorials for online learning more and more personalized. Still, with the increasing popularity of e-learning a lot of individuals have decided to further their education thanks to the ease of the whole process. At first the indecision in pursuing an online course was due to insufficient communication between students and instructors, but with e-learning tools as well as the mushrooming of social networking sites students can prevail over this obstacle. Some of the notable advantages of E-learning discussed in the essay include flexibility, mobile and reduced cost while the disadvantages include technology issues and lack of control. In the future years, it has been observed that e-learning will separate from being seen a standalone offering, and develop into being an element of continuous and holistic learning solutions. References Drayton, S. (2013, August 18). The Advantages and Disadvantages of eLearning. Retrieved from BusinessZone : http://www.businesszone.co.uk/blogs/scott-drayton/optimus-sourcing/advantages-and-disadvantages-elearning Pappas, C. (2013, December 1). Top 10 e-Learning Statistics for 2014 You Need To Know. Retrieved from eLearning Industry: http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-e-learning-statistics-for-2014-you-need-to-know Pradhan, A. (2013, December 10). eLearning, Future trends. Retrieved from DeakinPrime: http://deakinprime.com/news-and-publications/news/elearning,-future-trends/ Zembi. (2013, October 23). The Advantages and Disadvantages of eLearning. Retrieved from Zembi. Read More